Chapter 45
While Choi Moonho was being called into the director’s office, a heavy silence hung over the ninth-floor office.
As soon as everyone arrived at work, the accounting and audit team had started searching through PD Choi Moonho’s desk and computer.
Because of that, the people in the directing and production departments could instinctively tell that something bad had happened involving PD Choi Moonho.
“Fuck, what?
Do you think I have nowhere else to go if I leave this place?
This is so damn dirty and unfair!”
Just then, Choi Moonho returned to the office after being called to the director’s office.
He was fuming and kept muttering curses under his breath as he began packing up his belongings from his desk.
The staff gathered in the office had no idea what was going on.
They could only exchange secret glances with one another and carefully watch the situation.
Annoyed by the looks the staff were giving him, Choi Moonho raised his voice for no reason and took out his anger on them.
“What?
Why are you looking at me like that?
If you have something to say, say it to my face!
Why are you making me feel like shit?!”
Caught completely off guard, the staff shrank back and lowered their heads as if they wanted to disappear into the floor.
That bastard...
He really has no shame or decency until the very end.
What the hell does he think he did right?
I didn't avoid Choi Moonho's gaze.
I looked straight at him.
Choi Moonho stared back at me with an expression that seemed to say, *Oh?
Look at you.*
Then he opened his mouth again.
“You arrogant bastard.
You know, I didn't like you from the very beginning.
Did you know that?”
I desperately wanted to throw his own words right back at him.
But I didn't want to make things worse, so I lowered my gaze.
Seeing my attitude, Choi Moonho became even more confident.
He began giving us what he apparently considered advice, though there was nothing admirable about what he was saying.
**“You guys should wake up too.
Movies?
Art?
Hah, that's the perfect way to starve to death.
Especially you guys in the production department, listen carefully.
I'm much more experienced in this industry than you are, so I'm giving you some advice.
Quit while you're still young.
You can work until your backbone bends, but in the end, the only people who get recognition are the director, actors, and writer.
They all think the movie succeeded because they're so talented.
We don't even exist in their eyes.
Do you understand?”**
“PD, please stop...”
The assistant director spoke up as if trying to stop Choi Moonho.
Choi Moonho curled the corner of his mouth bitterly at the assistant director.
“Stop?
Stop what?
Why?
Am I wrong?
Hey, Assistant Director, you know this better than anyone.
No matter how good a screenplay you write, in the end, the only people who get to make their commercial movie debut are the few bastards with money and connections.
Do you have money?
Or connections?
You don't, do you?
That's why you're still living like this at your age.
You're almost forty.
How long are you going to keep living like this?”
Assistant Director Jung Min-hwan stared at Choi Moonho as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
“PD, please stop.”
This time, Head of Production Choi Sunhwa finally spoke up after enduring as much as she could.
“What does a girl know to interfere?!
Since we're talking about it, I'll tell you something.
I actually hate having girls on set.
Most of the work on a film set requires physical strength.
How can women do it properly?
All they ever do is look for shortcuts.”
“PD!”
Choi Sunhwa shouted.
“Where do you think you are, talking to a PD like that?!
Hey, hey, listen carefully...
Everything I'm saying is for your own good.
These are words that will become flesh and bones for you someday.
Understand?”
That was when I could no longer hold myself back.
**“So did you get revenge for all that unfairness by taking advantage of others?
Did living by exploiting other people's backs make you feel better?”**
The words of condemnation finally poured out of my mouth.
Choi Moonho's eyes trembled for a moment.
“What...
You bastard...
What the hell do you know about me?!
You think I was bitter?
You think I wanted compensation?!
Yeah, I did.
So what?!
What's wrong with that?!
If you were in the same situation as me, you would have done the same!
If I hadn't done those things, I wouldn't have been able to survive in this industry!
I couldn't endure it!”
I quietly stared at Choi Moonho, who was glaring at me with blood vessels bulging in his eyes.
Then I spoke.
**“No.
PD, your words sound nothing more than an excuse to me.
You see, people don't all make the same choice even when they're placed in the same situation.
And the choice they make is what reveals their true nature.”**
Choi Moonho's trembling eyes gradually became calm.
After that, Choi Moonho didn't say another word.
He simply continued packing his belongings until the moment he left the office.
As if he were a man who had already let go of everything himself...
Ha...
So this is how it ends...
The bond of bad fate that I never wanted to encounter again in my life was finally being severed.
But even as I watched Choi Moonho leave the office, I couldn't feel completely at ease.
I forced myself to steady my heart, refusing to give Choi Moonho even the slightest bit of sympathy.
And once again, I made a promise to myself.
‘Even when people are placed in the same situation, they don't all make the same choice!’
After Choi Moonho left the company, the chaotic atmosphere in the office quickly settled down.
The work that had been delayed because of various circumstances also began moving forward rapidly, and the office regained its energy.
Another meeting was held in the director's office on the twelfth floor to fill the position left vacant by Choi Moonho.
And in place of Choi Moonho, Manager Baek Seonghan was promoted to the position of main producer for this movie.
Perhaps this was how things should have been from the beginning.
With that, there were also a few changes in the production department's positions.
Main Producer Baek Seonghan.
Production Manager Choi Sunhwa.
Head of Production Cha Seungjun.
Production Department staff Kim Ginam and Moon Changsu.
Production Accountant Min Gibaek.
The youngest member of the production department, whom we had originally planned to recruit around the time filming began, was also hired quickly.
The new youngest member of the production department, Moon Changsu, was one year younger than me.
Moreover, he had entered the military immediately after graduating high school and had been discharged less than three months ago.
He was a complete newcomer to society.
His major had nothing to do with this field, and he wasn't particularly interested in movies either.
Even so, he said he had applied because he thought working in the movie industry would allow him to see lots of pretty female celebrities.
At first, I wondered why they had hired someone like him.
But Choi Sunhwa, who had now been promoted from Head of Production to Production Manager, said she liked how honest he was.
She also said that he had good military discipline and seemed like someone who would listen well.
**“Hey, and apparently he was a military driver.
Our job is basically like this.
When we're on set, isn't someone who can drive well and react quickly the best kind of person to have?”**
Well, she wasn't wrong.
After joining us, Moon Changsu constantly responded with phrases like:
“Yes, that's right!”
“Yes, I'll correct it!”
Because of that, he quickly became the cute little one among the directing and production departments.
Due to the various chaotic circumstances, the filming start date, which had originally been scheduled for early August at the latest, was pushed back a little further.
It was finally confirmed for August 20.
With about two months left before filming began, we quickly started wrapping up the pre-production work.
Once the main cast had been finalized, the major schedules for each team were quickly confirmed.
And once the schedules were set, the staff became busy once again trying to coordinate everything.
Although the art department shared the same office with us, we rarely saw them except during general meetings.
But with only two months left until filming began, they started coming to work every day.
Meanwhile, the directing department was busy discussing the casting of supporting and minor actors.
As usual, Director Park Junbeom said he would first select actors through the profiles he had received from management agencies.
If he couldn't find anyone he liked, he would announce additional auditions.
“Gibaek, did you get the profile for actor Moon Hyunbin that you mentioned before?
Oh, and actor Gil Boyoung's too.”
Scriptwriter Hwang Hyunhee, who was in charge of casting supporting and minor actors, was working busily to finish the list of supporting and minor actors and submit it to Director Park within the week.
Ah, right.
I forgot to talk to Boyoung noona about her profile.
I had been so busy dealing with one incident after another that I had completely forgotten to ask Boyoung noona about her profile.
“Noona, I'll get the profile myself and give it to you.
Honestly, I've been so distracted that I haven't even brought up the profile with her yet.”
“Hey, you should have told the actors about things like that in advance.
What are you going to do if actor Moon Hyunbin gets another schedule in the meantime?”
“Ah...
I'm sorry.
I'll contact her right away.”
“Okay.
We're going to organize the profiles and submit them to the director by Monday anyway, so just make sure you get it before then.”
“Yes!”
It was the weekend.
Even though midnight was approaching, the theater was quite crowded with people who had come to watch late-night movies.
Wow.
How long has it been since I last watched a late-night movie...?
Until Cinema Jeongdong closed its doors in 2010, I used to visit Jeongdong Theater three or four times a month to watch late-night movies.
For ten thousand won, I could watch three movies.
Of course, back then I didn't have much money, so part of the reason was to watch the latest movies as cheaply as possible.
But the bigger reason was that I loved watching movies all night and then stepping outside the theater at dawn.
There was something special about the chilly city air and atmosphere at that hour.
Perhaps it was the unique romance and mood that only a late-night movie could offer...
Anyway, I was approaching the ticket booth while reminiscing about those old memories when—
**“Hey, Min Gibaek!
Long time no see!”**
I turned toward the familiar voice.
In front of the ticket booth stood Moon Hyunbin, who had arrived first.
His face was half-covered by a hat and mask, and he was waving at me happily.
He's awfully excited all by himself...
I couldn't help feeling a little annoyed.
But being clueless wasn't a crime, so I decided to let it go.
“Ah, hyung.
It's been a while.
Where's Boyoung noona?”
“She'll be here soon.”
I had made plans to meet Boyoung noona regarding the casting for Director Park Junbeom's movie.
Since we were meeting anyway, I had suggested that we watch a movie together.
“Noona, would you like to watch a movie with me?
There's actually a movie I've been wanting to see.
And even though I'm technically someone who makes movies, I've gotten so busy that I don't end up watching them anymore.
Haha.”
“A movie?
Sure.
Oh, then should we watch a late-night movie?
Actually, I've never watched one before.”
“Really?
Then we absolutely have to watch a late-night movie.
There's something romantic about watching movies all night and then stepping outside the theater at dawn.”
“Romantic?
Hohoho.
I like that.
Romance.”
I had been excited at the thought of sharing all of that with Gil Boyoung.
Just the two of us.
But then—
“Hey, Boyoung is coming over there.”
Moon Hyunbin, who had become considerably more famous after the release of Eye of the Storm, happened to say that he also wanted to watch the exact movie I had been wanting to see.
On top of that, he said people had started recognizing him much more these days, making it difficult for him to go outside.
He thought a late-night theater would be relatively safe.
And without the slightest sense of timing, he had inserted himself between us.
“Oppa, Gibaek, have you been waiting long?”
“No.
We just got here a little while ago.”
“Wow, there are more people here than I expected even though it's almost midnight.
This is so fascinating and fun.”
I watched Gil Boyoung repeatedly marvel at the people who had gathered in the theater.
She looked so cute that I couldn't help smiling.
